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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cue — a signal
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. firm — a company
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cue — for pool
  18. firm — decided
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. last — final
  21. snap — to click
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com